This is the future website for the Jacob and Terese Hershey Foundation, a private philanthropic foundation created in 1961 by Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Hershey. The Board of Directors, comprised of family members and professional associates, governs the Foundation. Meetings are held bi-annually, on the first Friday in June and December, to consider requests.

To apply, keep reading! All the information is below.

Areas of Interest

Preservation and conservation of land, forests, streams, wetlands and habitat existing in a natural state and the defense of such resources.

Establishment, conservation and preservation of parks and open space for public use.

Care facilities for domestic and wild animals and birds.

Educational efforts to promote environmental literacy and comprehension of the complexities of the web of life, particularly in primary and secondary schools, museums and through citizen non-profit organizations with like purpose.

Efforts toward human population control.

Purpose

Primarily operating, program, and projects.

Geographic Area

Grants are made primarily to organizations that are in or serve Texas and southwestern Colorado. Requests from outside these areas must be by invitation of a board member.

We Do Not Fund

Individuals

Businesses

Non-501(c)(3) organizations (except for governmental entities)

Private foundations

Applying to the Foundation for a Grant

Applicants must use the Foundation’s online grant application system. Grant requests should be between $2,000 and $50,000. Multiple funding sources are encouraged.

When to apply

The Foundation has two grant cycles per year – Spring and Fall. Online applications are accepted for eight weeks during each of those cycles. Deadlines for applications are in late March and September (see below for specific dates).

An organization may only apply once per twelve months.

Processes in the online grant portal will open eight weeks before the application deadline. If you access the online grant portal outside of the eight-week window, you will not be able to submit an application.

New applicants must submit a Letter of Inquiry (LOI) via the online system. LOIs are due two weeks before applications are due. This allows time for us to review and respond to your LOI, and to allow you time to prepare and submit your application by the application deadline, if you are invited to submit one.

Important grant cycle dates:

2018
Spring cycle (Closed)

2018
Fall cycle

2019
Spring cycle

2019
Fall cycle

Cycle opens

2/15/2018

7/27/2018

2/1/2019

7/26/2019

LOIs due
(New Applicants)

4/1/2018

9/7/2018

3/15/2019

9/6/2019

Applications due
(Returning Applicants; New Applicants who have submitted an LOI and received approval to apply)

4/15/2018

9/21/2018

3/29/2019

9/20/2019

Notifications sent

6/8/2018

12/14/18

6/14/2019

12/13/2019

New Applicants

If your organization has never received a grant from the Jacob and Terese Hershey Foundation, or has not received a grant in the past five years, you qualify as a new applicant (if you are unsure, call or email and we can tell you; 713-529-7612, support@jthershey.org).

As a new applicant, you must first submit a letter of inquiry via our online system. The letter of inquiry (LOI) allows you to introduce your organization to the Foundation and to provide a brief idea of the purpose of your grant request. We will review your LOI, and if we believe that your request might be a fit with our funding priorities, you will be invited to submit a full application.

Please call before you begin your LOI; we'd like to hear a little about your organization and the idea you have for your request before you begin the process so that we can ensure that it makes sense for you to submit an LOI. 713-529-7612

If you have called, spoken with a staff person, and received the go ahead, then the next step is to access our online grants system. You’ll be asked to set up a user account on the system first. Once you are logged in, select “Apply” in the menu on your dashboard. Go to the “New Applicant” section and follow the instructions. If you have any questions or issues, please call or email us: 713-529-7612, support@jthershey.org.

Returning Applicants

If your organization has received a grant from the Jacob and Terese Hershey Foundation within the past five years, you qualify as a returning applicant (if you are unsure, call or email and we can tell you; 713-529-7612, support@jthershey.org).

To apply, access our online grant system. If you’ve never visited our online grants system before, you’ll be asked to set up a user account first. Once you are logged in, select “Apply” in the menu on your dashboard. Go to the “Returning Applicant” section and follow the instructions. If you have any questions or issues, please call or email us: 713-529-7612, support@jthershey.org.